I’ve read some real howlers on this site, but to even imply that Paul Muni was anything less than great is ridiculous. This man helped to define what screen acting is, and is heralded to this day for his contributions.
Was Laruschka/Zvi Mosheh Skikne officially British? He was born in Lithuania and grew up in South Africa.
Richard Harris has been mentioned- i thought he was Irish
Muni’s gotten a great deal of criticism from critics like David Thomson and Andrew Sarris. The general conception was that he started out extremely strong with I was a Fugitive from a Chain Gang and Scarface, but then started making “prestige pictures”. The bulk of these are horrible dated and suffer at times from his too deliberate form of speech ( Life of Emile Zola, Song to Remember, Hudson’s Bay and Juarez…which is almost saved by Bette Davis).
I’ll grant that his early work is remarkable and had some of that naturalistic work that John Garfield would later continue with. But, he abandoned it for playacting and by the 40s, he fell out of favor and ended up in support. He’s far better than Arliss, but he won for the Pasteur film not for Scarface and I think it influenced the roles that he took and the performances that he gave.
Anyway, sorry to get off topic. We were picking on Brits, so I nominate George Arliss.
This seems like such a bogus thread. Laurence Harvey, at least, was not a commonplace leading man. Somebody saw something in him that was different. Today, we are glutted with banal actors without individuality. (The lament of the old fart, who cannot accept anything new.)
I want to be arrested by a personality who will charge the atmosphere. Or, at least, make me want to go to the movies.
Nadafingah…I agree with your observations.
Thank you, Howard Fritzson; I agree. Laurence Harvey had a unique screen presence and I never found his somewhat icy, reserved quality to be even remotely wooden. He certainly performed quite well in some roles. I loved him in “Room at the Top.”
@Howard Fritzson
Harvey was a pioneer for banal dramatic actors. We see his kind of stoic expressions in people like Robert Pattinson, Alex Pettyfer, and Channing Tatum to name quite a few. However Harvey’s costars like Dirk Bogarde, Alan Bates, and Tom Courtenay stood out in every one of their roles. They are the antithesis of stale banal acting.
I don’t think Laurence Harvey gave a banal performance in “Room At The Top.” He more than suggested the anger and frustration of a man fighting to break free of his social class and, of course, no one could be banal playing opposite Simone Signoret at full tilt.
@Howard Fritzson
Look at Harvey’s other performances, and you’ll see that he ahs done more bad than good. Nevermind having a good year of roles in 1959, but afterwards it was nothing but bad performance after bad performance, and unfortunately that outdoes the good.
I usually judge the skills of an actor (or filmmaker for that matter) by the best work I have seen from them. This does not mean that lightning will strike more than once but at least I know they are capable of their best level. “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Expresso Bongo,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Room At The Top,” “Darling,”—that body of work is not nothing. I understand that good performances can be coaxed out of hack actors but I credit Harvey with the ability to bring a certain amount of intelligence and individuality and, yes, wit, when he is fully engaged.
By the way, there are plenty of actors who are remembered for a handful of good performances floating in a sea of their mediocre to bad work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFmIQ_LkoRQ
AND
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAG4WPzJq74&
Proof that Laurence Harvey cannot act nor initiate any imtimate chemistry with his costars.
No. Those clips from “A Dandy in Aspic” don’t prove a thing except, perhaps, that Laurence was sporting an exaggerated pompadour in that role.
@Hausfrau
There is no emotion in his performance. Some of me wonders, if he is even human.
The funniest part of this ridiculous thread is that Harvey wasn’t British at all. He was born in Lithuania, grew up in South Africa, and changed his name to Laurence Harvey when he moved to Britain to study acting in the late 40s. He was a product of his era, and held his own in quite a number of movies. He was perfectly fine in Manchurian Candidate, where he played a cold calculating person. I liked him best in Summer and Smoke opposite Geraldine Page.
Not a fan of Sands in Room with a View. He’s kind of a cold fish (And Daniel Day-Lewis wipes the floor with him actor wise in it).
In retrospect, I think we read a lot into Daniel Day-Lewis’ early performances that simply wasn’t there. He didn’t have an auspicious beginning, to say the least. More or less a pretty boy with a cynical attitude as personified in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, where he was completely upstaged by Lena Olin and Juliette Binoche. not to mention other forgettable performances like that in Stars and Bars. My Left Foot was his breakout performance, surprising just about everyone.
@Dzimas
From what I’ve seen, DDL is so much better in anypart of his career than Harvey was in his. If Harvey lived long enough where he and DDL were in a film together, I think the rare occurrence of a young actor outacting older one would occur bar none.
Apples and oranges. The only thing you can say about these two is that they have a similar dark handsome look. Harvey was no Sir Laurence Olivier, but he was good in his roles. I can think of far worse actors from his generation. Glenn Ford immediately comes to mind and look how long a career he had. But, if you are going to take the time to spit on Laurence Harvey, you should at least make the attempt to seek out his origins (wiki is just a click away), rather than post the first thought that leaps into your head.
Nadafingah
Lots of poor performances have won Oscars. There’s a reason that nobody talks about George Arliss and Paul Muni anymore. Garson just comes off as smug and superior in so many films (Particularly Miniver which is just patriotic windbag tripe). Worst is her role in the otherwise fine Pride and Prejudice. She sinks the whole thing with her refusal to emote anything other than smugness.
Not a fan of Sands in Room with a View. He’s kind of a cold fish (And Daniel Day-Lewis wipes the floor with him actor wise in it).
I was probably being harsh on Everett. Now that I think of it, he was alright in Midsummer Night’s Dream.